British Tories to introduce marriage equality!

[Imran Siddiqui]

This is a Conservative government that I can support wholeheartedly:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/government-move-to-legislate-samesex-marriage-2356475.html

Lib Dem Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone today declared herself "delighted" to announce the Government's move to legislate for same-sex marriages before the next general election.


Addressing the opening day of her party's autumn conference in Birmingham, she spoke passionately about the need to reject prejudice and discrimination, and support the cause of women's equal rights and persecuted minorities across the world.


To rounds of applause, she said: "I am delighted to announce today that in March this Government will bring in a formal consultation on how to implement equal civil marriage for same-sex couples.


"And this would allow us to make any legislative changes necessary by the end of this Parliament."


She added: "Civil partnerships were a very welcome first step, but as our constitution states, this party rejects prejudice and discrimination in all its forms. And I believe that to deny one group of people the same opportunities offered to another, is not only discrimination, it is simply not fair."

[C0ckney]

[rah]

McFun must still be sleeping.

[DinoDoc]

McFun must still be sleeping.

[MrFun]

McFun must still be sleeping.

[Ben Kenobi]

Bad news for the Tories.

[kentonio]

Considering the Tories have to have been in favour in order for it to come out, how is that bad news for the Tories?

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Because the only opposition will come from the Tory seats, and those in traditional Tory heartland constituencies.

[kentonio]

**** them. The party as a whole has moved past that point now. If anyone wants to embarrass themselves and put serious question marks next to their re-election, then to be honest I think it's better that they do it now so they can be replaced at the next election.

[Cort Haus]

The old blue-rinse Tories will all be dead soon. The traditional Tory constituency is as dead as the old Labour constituency. Neither party stands for anything anymore, neither has any long-term activist support, and are all hollowed-out shells of their previous existences.

This means that each party is free to make policy as they see fit, which is fine in this case, but beyond individual decisions for better or worse, no party has any guiding vision or inspiration - they're all just management teams. If the Tories can back this, any party would have approved this in government.

[Barnabas]

I blame the French Revolution for this

[giblets]

The old blue-rinse Tories will all be dead soon. The traditional Tory constituency is as dead as the old Labour constituency. Neither party stands for anything anymore, neither has any long-term activist support, and are all hollowed-out shells of their previous existences.

This means that each party is free to make policy as they see fit, which is fine in this case, but beyond individual decisions for better or worse, no party has any guiding vision or inspiration - they're all just management teams. If the Tories can back this, any party would have approved this in government.

So you have no idea what a party will try to do if it's elected? Is there any point in voting if you don't think one party is generally smarter than the others? Or is voting just supposed to punish incumbents who screw up?

[Uncle Sparky]

Traditionally Tories, both in the UK & Canada, were pro individual rights. This was before the Moral Majority ****ed up politics in the US in the '80s.

[Guynemer]

McFun must still be sleeping.

[Cort Haus]

So you have no idea what a party will try to do if it's elected? Is there any point in voting if you don't think one party is generally smarter than the others? Or is voting just supposed to punish incumbents who screw up?

Different budgetary outlooks - Tories cut a bit more, Labour spend a bit more, Tories claim to be cutting the quangocracy, but we'll see. They might have different manifestos, and even act on them, but they're not the old parties of determined principle that they once were. They're management teams.